Pre-workshop Checklist
This checklist aims to help organize Carpentry Workshops at the Smithsonian.
Workshop Instructors and Helpers
Co-instructors (teaching in pairs is recommended by The Carpentries)
List of SI Carpentry instructors can be found here.
Helpers (one helper for every 8-10 learners)
We suggest the instructors invite new helpers from their respective departments and help us grow our SI Carpentries Community.
Checking space availability and reserving a room
Access the SI Room Reservation System here
Here’s the Prism resource for reservable rooms around the various museums: http://prism2.si.edu/collaboration/pages/mtgplanning.aspx
You can select the room based on seating capacity, location, equipment available, etc.
NMNH:
For large workshops: WG-33 (Vertebrate Zoology Seminar Room). It has enough room for 50 people.
Library CE107 and CE108 combined: 30 people
NMNH Library Learning Lab: counted 16 computers (good for interns w/o laptops)
Rose Room: Listed as a capacity of 25, but we had ~40 in there for the first workshop.
NZP
Conference Room at DCB
SAAM
MacMillan Education Center: it can probably accommodate 20 people at the big conference table. Contact Ryan Linthicum, LinthicumR@si.edu to reserve.
SERC
Matthias 1013
To reserve the Castle Library, email CastleScheduler@si.edu with a request for dates.
To add: How to request chairs for the Castle Library
Workshop announcements
Mailing lists to announce the workshop:
Genomics (GENOMICS@SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU)
Data Science (DATA-SCIENCE@SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU)
Carpentries-Announce (CARPENTRIES-ANNOUNCE@SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU)
SI-All (https://smithsonianprod.servicenowservices.com/si; Information Technology > Departmental Services > Smithsonian-Wide Email Announcement Request)
Slacks:
SI-wide (General)
SI-wdie (carpentries-alumni)
Post fliers to NMNH elevators
Social Media (Twitter, etc)
Accessibility
Make sure the workshop room and restrooms are accessible.
Check the path from the entrance to the workshop room and from the room to the restrooms to be sure.
Microphone and speaker
Color-blind safe sticky notes
Blue and yellow seem to be a good color combo. See it here
Lactation room
Equipment and Materials
Required Items
Sticky notes (blue=good/yellow=help), or any combination with the same meaning)
8 of each color per person
Power strips
One power strip for every 3 learners
A few extensions cords
Extension cords
For the Castle Library: Projector (Matt K. has one that can be borrowed)
Wireless lavalier microphone, portable speaker and atleast eight extra AA batteries (see Matt K.)
Nice-to-haves
Direction signs to the workshop room
Name tags or tents
Pronoun stickers would be a great addition to future workshops
Stickers and other swag
Flipchart or whiteboard with felt-tip pen (from The Carpentries Website although we haven’t been using these in our workshops)
Coffee and snacks
The SI Data Science lab has a coffee urn for use in workshops. It takes about 1.5 hours to brew a full pot.
The best spot to fill the urn in the Castle is a water bottle filling station in the basement near the staff food service.
The coffee recipie is 2 cups grounds to make a full urn (40 cups)